


The Poet and the Beast

by Buggycas



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Anya who?, Bad Poetry, Episode: s05e03 The Replacement, Fluff, M/M, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 05:17:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14664096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buggycas/pseuds/Buggycas
Summary: Instead of Toth hitting Xander, he hits Spike. Xander is stuck taking care of the human again William, who doesn’t remember anything after his death; while Giles watches the feral demon.





	The Poet and the Beast

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kinda playing fast and loose with the canon. I didn't actually rewatch the episode for this. I really just wanted an excuse to write William being adorable. My bad poetry ahead! Nothing says William like a bad poem.  
> Also, I own nothing but the poetry.

No one was exactly sure how it happened. Everyone was gathered at the Magic Box when a strange demon broke in, fired a blast from its magic staff and ran off. It was obviously aiming for Buffy, but it _hit_ Spike and thank god Buffy was there. Spike was suddenly two, one giving a terrified scream and trying to hide, the other giving an animal roar and trying to attack. Fortunately, the chip was still working, and Buffy was able to subdue him with its help.

 

By the time he was tied up, growling and snapping at anyone who came near, the other Spike had been forgotten, at least until he started crying, a posh voice speaking through the tears, “I should have listened to Mother and never gone to that ball.”

 

Xander couldn’t help himself, seeing the bleached blonde vampire curled up in the corner crying broke what little filter he usually had, “holy _shit_! Two Spikes?!”

 

“Actually, I believe this one is William,” Giles corrected, cleaning his glasses in shock, “From the appearance of things, that staff has split Spike into the pure demon, and the human he once was. I don’t suppose you can tell me what year it was you last remember, William?”

 

“It’s Mr. Pratt,” William corrected mulishly, not moving from his corner, “It’s improper to call a stranger by their first name, and the year is 1880.”

 

Xander whistled, “damn, that’s a _long_ time. Did they even have cars or movies back then? How do you explain TV to someone who didn’t even know what a Movie was?”

 

“I beg your pardon, but I would prefer it if you ceased blaspheming,” William said imperiously, “And what the devil are you talking about?”

 

“I believe what Xander is trying to say, is it has been 120 years since you last recall, and many things have changed,” Giles explained.

 

“Goodness gracious! 120 years? How is that even possible?” William asked shock and awe in his cultured voice.

 

“To put it most simply, you died and rose as a vampire,” Giles explained, “the only reason you don't remember all this is it seems that the demon who has been animating you this past century has been pulled from you.”

 

“Speaking of, anyone else think we should stake Evil Spike and teach the new Good William how to survive in the future?” Xander suggested.

 

“I like that idea,” Buffy agreed.

 

“There's a very high chance that killing the one will kill the other,” Giles admitted, “There is another thing to consider as well, William… Mr. Pratt here very obviously has a soul.”

 

“We need to see if he has a pulse,” Willow said brightly, “Because it’s been a really long time since he has.”

 

“That’s a good idea actually,” Giles admitted, moving towards the still frightened man, “Do you mind if I take your Pulse?”

 

“I suppose I have little choice if you’re going to ascertain my humanity,” William said, moving to stand up, straightening his clothes with a frown but holding out his hand for Giles to take, “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, you know my name but I know none of yours.”

 

“Ah, yes, my name is Rupert Giles, the young man is Alexander Harris, the young women are Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, and Tara Maclay,” Giles said, taking his pulse and stepping back, “he’s human, as far as I can tell.”

 

“So, what are we doing with the two Spikes?” Xander asked, “we can't exactly send them back to the crypt in this state.”

 

“Well I can't put up both, and leaving Spike alone in this state is against the question,” Giles said, “didn't you just get an apartment, Xander?”

 

“Well yeah but I don't have any furniture yet. And I can't take evil Spike so good Spike will be sleeping on the floor,” Xander said, “And I just talked myself into taking William didn’t I?”

 

“I doubt he would be comfortable in a home with only females, and none of the girls can take the demonic Spike,” Giles pointed out, “Which means I have to take his evil counterpart.”

 

“Can I at least borrow some blankets and stuff? I wasn’t kidding when I said I don’t have any furniture,” Xander pleaded.

 

“If I give you $20 for blankets will you cease your whining?” Giles asked with a put-upon sigh.

 

“Make it $40 so I can get pillows, and you have a deal,” Xander grinned.

 

Giles grumbled but pulled out his wallet, handing Xander the cash, “Between you and Spike I never have any spending money left.”

 

“Thanks, G-man!” Xander grinned, taking the cash and looking at William, “Come on William, we have some shopping to do before we can go home.”

 

“I don't suppose that's enough to get me something more appropriate to wear?” William asked, following the effusive young man nervously, pulling his coat tight over the skin tight clothes.

 

“Not really,” Xander admitted, “I can pick you up some PJ's, since I don't think Spike's the kind of guy who wears them, but real clothes are expensive. We can stop by the crypt tomorrow and pick up whatever Spike has to wear though.”

 

“I suppose that will have to do,” William sighed.

 

Shopping was done quickly enough. The sleeping bag, two pillows, pillowcases, notepad, Pen, and Pajamas cost more than the $40 Giles had given him, but Xander had enough to cover it. When he got home, he pulled his phone from his pocket and started to dial the pizza place.

 

“I'm going to take a wild guess and say you don't remember pizza?” Xander asked.

 

“Is that what you call the strange device in your hand?” William asked confusedly.

 

“Nah, this is a cell phone, it's like a telephone you can take anywhere,” Xander chuckled, sitting on the couch, “pizza is what I'm ordering for dinner. You liked it before the split.”

 

“Well, then I suppose we should see if I still do,” William said, looking around the barren apartment, “I don't suppose you have anything to read?”

 

“I’ve got some comic books, but that's about it,” Xander admitted, “I’m going to introduce you to TV after I get food ordered anyway.”

 

“You’ve mentioned this TV thing before, what is it?” William asked.

 

Xander held up a finger, “Yeah, I’ll have an extra large meat lover’s and some garlic cheese bread delivered to 234 Mason, apartment 4b,” after speaking a moment to the guy on the other end he nodded, “Alright, I’ll have it ready.”

 

“What in blazes was that about?” William asked confused.

 

“Just ordering the Pizza,” Xander smiled, “As for TV, I don’t really know how it works. I flunked Science, but I know it’s basically a bunch of moving pictures and sounds transmitted over the air and received by this thing,” he patted the TV, turning it on, “It’s mostly used for I guess Plays.”

 

“Plays?” William asked intrigued, “What kind of plays?”

 

“Anything really,” Xander admitted, “the graphics are a lot better than plays can manage though because they can edit it in post-production.”

 

“And what, pray tell, are graphics?” William asked confused.

 

“Umm… special effects? The stuff that can’t be done by a human alone?” Xander tried explaining, “Here, I’ll put in a video, one of my favorite movies, lotta special effects, That’ll show you.”

 

“A video?” William asked, watching Xander set about putting a black box in another larger black box with blinking green lights.

 

“Yep, home recordings of your favorite movies,” Xander grinned, turning on the TV, “This one is Star Wars.”

 

The pair settled in to watch the movie, only pausing to get the food. Xander had to show William now to eat a pizza, but he seemed to enjoy it. Once the movie was over, Xander showed William how to use the zipper on his sleeping bag and told him he could use the bedroom, since there wasn’t any furniture in it. He also gave him the cushions from the couch and one of the new pillows before starting to strip down to his boxers to sleep himself.

 

~~~

 

William didn’t see how Xander was sleeping until he woke the next morning, moving to the kitchen to see if they had anything to eat when he spotted Xander, his sheet tangled around one leg, everything else exposed. The other man wore nothing but the scantest pair of pants William had ever seen in his life. ‘He’s gorgeous’ he thought, unable to stop staring, ‘perhaps my aunt was right, I suppose I have a bit of Uranian in me.’

 

Xander gave a little grunt, turning over and waking slowly with a yawn, blinking at William a moment before remembering what was going on, “Oh hey, You’re dressed already? Give me a second to throw on some pants and I’ll make us some cereal.”

 

“Cereal? Like porridge?” William managed, flushing a deep red as he forced his eyes away from the nearly nude young man.

 

“I was thinking cocoa puffs,” Xander chuckled, pulling his pants on, not noticing William’s nervous movements, “Now I know these weren’t invented when you were alive.”

 

William flushed when Xander moved to the kitchen, shirtless still, watching him move in a sort of mortified fascination, Embarrassed by his attraction to the other man, but unable to look away. He did manage to make his way to the small table and mismatched chairs in the kitchen, taking a moment to ask, “What are cocoa puffs?”

 

“A very delicious cereal,” Xander grinned, putting the stuff on the table and serving them both, “It’s chocolate flavored.”

 

“Chocolate cereal? In my day chocolate was very expensive,” William said surprised.

 

“These days it’s not. These days even the brokest of chocoholics can find their favorite goodness,” Xander said, starting his cereal, “Eat up, I’m going to take you over to the Magic Box before I head to work.”

 

“It’s cold,” William said, confused.

 

“It’s cold cereal,” Xander said, his mouth slightly full, “Designed to be eaten cold.”

 

“Alright,” William said, trying the cereal, his eyes widening in surprise, swallowing before speaking, “This tastes amazing!”

 

Xander chuckled, “Glad you like it.”

 

They ate the rest in companionable silence, William enjoying the crunchy, chocolatey food, trying not to be obvious about looking at the other man’s bare chest. If many young low-class workers looked like Xander, it was a good thing his mother had never let him associate with them. None of the young lordlings he’d been allowed to speak with looked a thing like this masculine beauty. He was secretly disappointed when Xander went to finish getting dressed, but he said nothing, just gathered the notepad and pen they’d purchased the night before.

 

Xander was chatty as they walked to the store, asking William’s opinion of the movie they’d seen the night before. William was deep into a description of the wonder of in-home plays when a passing car made a horrendous noise, like the sound of a bullet shot from a gun, startling him into stepping wrong, falling off the curb and hurting his ankle badly. Xander was at his side in moments.

 

“Hey, you hurt anything?” he asked, helping the out-of-place bleached blonde sit up.

 

“I believe something’s wrong with my ankle,” William admitted, cringing as he sat up.

 

“Can you wiggle your toes for me?” Xander asked, feeling his foot through the boots, smiling when William did just that, “Good, that means nothing’s broken. The Magic Box is just across the street, Giles always has a first aid kit on hand, I’ll carry you over ok?”

 

“Can you lift me?” William asked nervously.

 

“I picked up Spike a couple of times when he passed out drunk in the wrong spots back when we were sharing the basement,” Xander admitted, “I doubt you’re heavier human.” As if to prove that, he reached down, carefully picking up the injured man.

 

William let out a little yelp when he was picked up, startled, but he immediately wrapped his arms around his rescuer’s neck, flushing slightly. He felt like a maiden in a fairy story, taken off by the handsome Prince. Let’s just hope that this Prince isn’t his doom. He was starting to wonder what he ever saw in that beautiful harridan Cicely when there were people in the world like Xander Harris, beautiful inside and out. Although he was sure that if Xander knew of his attraction, he’d have nothing to do with him after. In his time at least, Sodomy was illegal, and he didn’t know how much the world had changed since then.

 

“Yeah, it can be pretty embarrassing to have a guy pick you up and carry you,” Xander mused, walking them to the nearby store and completely misinterpreting the reason for William’s embarrassment, “But it’s only for a short distance.”

 

“You sound like you have experience with being carried,” William asked, tamping down on the inappropriate feelings welling up in his chest.

 

“Yeah but in my case, I’m usually out cold, and Buffy's the one carrying me, she's tiny, but that Slayer super strength is impressive,” Xander grinned, pushing the door open with his butt, calling out, “G-man! I need an Ice pack and a first aid kit, William fell off the sidewalk.”

 

“Set him down in the reading area, I will get the supplies,” Giles called, heading back to get the requested items as Xander went to set William down.

 

“Thank you for helping me, Xander,” William said, reluctantly letting go when Xander sat him on the chair.

 

“No problem, really,” Xander said, “Let’s get that foot up.”

 

As Xander got William Settled, Giles came back from the back, handing the first aid kit over to Xander, who immediately opened it and started cleaning William up. “William seems like he was a far better flatmate than his demonic counterpart has been,” Giles said, placing the ice pack on William’s ankle.

 

“Oh yeah,” Xander grinned, cleaning up William’s scrapes, “We watched Star Wars last night, It was fun.”

 

“It’s quite fascinating what can be done with the movies,” William said, hissing as Xander cleaned a scrape.

 

“Sorry,” Xander said, finishing and bandaging him, “There we go, you’ll heal up in no time.”

 

Willow came in with some kind of flyers, “Oh good! I caught you in time. There’s a PFLAG/LGBT Student Union meeting tonight. I was hoping you guys would come and support Tara and me since our parents won’t be there.”

 

“You know I’ll be there to support my best friend,” Xander said cheerily, taking the flyer from her and putting it in his pocket, “I’ve got to get to work, I’m going to be late, See you tonight!”

 

“Thanks, Xander!” Willow said with a smile, looking at Giles, “Can you be there tonight?”

 

“I might be able to,” he nodded, “Thank you for including me.”

 

“Pardon me, what is PFLAG/LGBT?” William asked, confused.

 

“To explain that, I would need to explain 120 years of civil rights progress,” Giles said honestly, “Essentially it’s a meeting for the friends and family of those who are attracted to the same sex, Men who love men, and women who love women, They don’t have full marriage and adoption rights quite yet, but it’s accepted enough that they are fighting for those rights, and it is illegal to bully someone because of who they are attracted to. Similarly, We no longer judge people based on race. No matter your country of origin, you are allowed to do the same things in the same places as anyone else, marry whomever you want, save the same gender, as I said, they’re still fighting for those rights, and it is again, illegal to bully someone based on race, or discriminate based on race. You’re not allowed to discriminate based on gender either, although I understand that there seems to be a pay gap between women and men that women are still struggling to overcome.”

 

“Judge not, that ye be not judged,” William said sincerely, “It seems this time is trying to make that a law, not just a good idea.”

 

“That is an astute way of saying it,” Giles nodded.

 

“Then this is a meeting… supporting Ms. Rosenberg and Ms. Maclay in their love for each other?” William asked, “Would a gentleman of a similar yet opposite inclination receive the same support?”

 

“Well, he’s never said it, but we’re all pretty sure that Giles used to sleep with Ethan when he was a teenager,” Willow chirped.

 

“Oh bloody hell,” Giles murmured, cleaning his glasses, “Is it that obvious?”

 

“Mostly on Ethan’s side,” Willow grinned, looking at her nominal father figure, “he’s got it _bad_ for you.”

 

“Rather unfortunately,” Giles sighed, putting his glasses back on, “The man refuses to grow up and accept his magical addiction has consequences.”

 

“I would think all magic would have consequences,” William noted, “To mess with the natural order of things seems a particularly dangerous occupation.”

 

“Very much so,” Giles agreed, “Which is why Magic should only be used for emergency situations, such as your current one.”

 

“You mean the fact that somehow, the demon that overtook me has been separated from me,” William said, not even noticing how awkwardly Willow was taking this conversation, “Is that really an unfavorable outcome, Mr. Giles?”

 

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Giles admitted, “There is too much we don’t know, For instance, you have a soul, will rejoining you with the other Spike give him the soul he lacked before the strange spell? What happens to you if the Other Spike is Injured or Killed? Will you weaken the longer you are separated? These are all things we must know before we decide to rejoin you or keep you separate.”

 

“I need to get to class,” Willow announced, leaving a few fliers on the table, “I’ll see you guys at the meeting tonight.”

 

“Of course, have a nice day, Willow,” Giles agreed, looking up as the redhead hurried out, before turning to William again, “Well, I have some research to do today, would you like to help?”

 

“I would, but I find it very difficult to read without my spectacles,” William admitted.

 

“Ah, I suppose I could help you get a pair of spectacles, Reading glasses aren’t too expensive,” Giles offered, a little surprised.

 

“I don't suppose you could assist me in purchasing more appropriate clothing?” William asked brightly, “I work as an accountant when my poetry doesn't sell, I could work the ledgers for this shop in recompense.”

 

“I suppose I could purchase a few pairs of trousers and shirts as well,” Giles agreed, “but I cannot afford to purchase a bespoke suit.”

 

“To be perfectly honest, Mr. Giles, I will settle for anything that isn't so revealingly tight,” William said, “When do we go?”

 

“As soon as my assistant gets here,” Giles nodded, moving to help a customer.

 

~~~

 

When Xander came to the Magic Box after work, he blinked. William was wearing khaki pants, a white shirt, a borrowed tweed jacket and glasses, “Whoa, Mini-Giles! You convince the G-man to take you shopping, Billy?”

 

“I Beg your pardon?” William asked, frowning at the nickname, “That is far too familiar Alexander.”

 

Xander grinned, “Xander, please, and I figured you needed your own nickname, Since ‘Will’ is too close to ‘Wills’, which is what I call Willow, I thought ‘Billy’ would work better. I can’t exactly call you ‘Fangless’ Anymore.”

 

“Irritating as it may be, at least Billy is better than ‘G-man’,” Giles chuckled.

 

“That still seems very familiar,” William prevaricated, secretly pleased that he had a nickname already.

 

“It’s very… Xander,” Giles explained, “The boy gives everyone a nickname.”

 

“What’s wrong with familiar? We’re going to be roomies until we get you fixed anyway,” Xander said, “Come on, we don’t want to miss Willow and Tara’s big gay meeting. She’s really looking forward to it.”

 

“I suppose, since we are living together, some familiarity is needed,” William admitted, flushing slightly, “I take it from the way you said ‘gay’ you don’t mean happy?”

 

“Nope, these days Gay means, ‘attracted to the same sex’ not happy,” Xander chuckled.

 

“I take it you would like a ride, Xander?” Giles asked, grabbing his keys.

 

“Not like Billy and I have a car,” Xander grinned.

 

Giles chuckled, “Right, come along then.” he said, heading to his car.

 

~~~

 

Xander smiled, looking around the room when they got in, “So it’s just your typical meet and greet party,” Xander said, “You had these back in the 1800’s right? I mean, there’s parents here, so I doubt it’s going to be wild. I gotta find the bathroom, so you gonna be ok alone for a sec? You can just chat with someone or linger by the food bar.”

 

“I will be fine for just a moment Xander,” William said with a chuckle, “Go take care of your needs.”

 

Xander grinned, heading off to find the bathroom. Shortly after he left, another man their age approached William, “Oh he’s cute. Your S.O.?”

 

“I beg your pardon?” William asked, turning to the stranger with a confused look on his face.

 

“Oh, British, cute,” The stranger grinned, “S.O., Significant Other, Paramour, Boyfriend. Are you two an item?”

 

“Oh, goodness, no,” William said, flushing at the question, “That is a very forward question.”

 

“You don’t get anywhere in this world if you’re not moving forward,” The man chuckled, “So, does that mean you’re both Single? Because your townie is _hot_ and I wanna take a ride on his disco stick.”

 

It took a moment, the modern slang confusing William, but the words “ride” and “stick” managed to register the intent through the slang, and William turned red, embarrassment and anger overtaking him, “now see here, even if Xander were inclined to the coarser sex, I assure you he would have _nothing_ to do with someone as unrefined, uncouth, and downright offensive as you are!”

 

“Whoa, keep your pants on pretty boy,” The offensive stranger said, holding up his hands, “I was going to ask about you next, but you are obviously gone for your straight boy Townie friend there. You better make sure he’s straight soon, because if he isn’t you got plenty of competition that doesn’t have a stick lodged up their asses.” With that the stranger left, moving to chat with another guy across the room.

 

As Xander came back from the bathroom, he couldn’t help but overhear a conversation as he passed.

 

“Oh, townie there is hot, think he’s here as a friend or as one of us?” The first voice asked.

 

“Oh don’t even bother with him, He’s got this stuck up British guy obsessed with him. You’d think a guy who bleached his hair like that wouldn’t have such a stick up his ass, but he does. He called me offensive when I asked if townie was single.” A second guy answered.

 

Xander frowned, bleached British guy? They were talking about Billy! Which meant… oh crap, the Townie was HIM. Billy was into him? That didn’t make sense, Spike was straight and couldn’t _stand_ him, why would his human counterpart be so different? Shrugging it off, He moved back over to Billy, giving a smile, “Meet anyone interesting while I was gone?”

 

“I wouldn’t call it interesting,” William grumbled, still mildly upset at the stranger who had offended him, “But I was accosted by a young man who seemed to have the intention to use you or I like a common whore.”

 

“Ugh. If I wanted to be used for sex I would have started dating Anya last year,” Xander admitted, “Let’s find Willow and Tara, we’re here for them after all.”

 

“Yes, of course,” William nodded, taking out his notepad and the ballpoint pen Xander had gotten him and starting to write.

 

~~~

 

The next morning went the same as the morning before, Xander serving them both cocoa puffs shirtless and William trying not to stare before heading to their various jobs. William spent the day working on Giles’ taxes and translating Latin for him. It was almost time for the others to return when Giles made an “Ah-ha!” and moved to William’s side, “I’ve found information on the wand used to separate you from Spike.”

 

“I don’t suppose there is a way to rid myself of his influence for good?” William asked hopefully, looking over the book Giles had in his hand.

 

“Unfortunately no,” Giles said, looking over the passage, “According to this, the separation is actually quite taxing on you, I wouldn’t recommend staying separated longer than a month. It does give us some leeway on finding and defeating Toth, but I wouldn’t recommend lingering long afterward.”

 

“So, my choices are rejoining with this demon who took over my life, or commit slow suicide,” William frowned, “Neither seems a pleasant option.”

 

“I normally wouldn’t even suggest it,” Giles said honestly, “But then again I normally would never associate with a vampire. However, Spike is… Useful, and somewhat harmless with his chip. And there is the possibility that since this spell, which was never designed to be used on a vampire, has summoned your very soul from the afterlife, rejoining you with your demon would leave Spike with a soul, one far harder to remove than the soul of the only other souled vampire I know of.”

 

“There is another vampire with a soul?” William asked curiously, “What is he like?”

 

“Angel’s soul is something entirely different. He was cursed,” Giles explained, “So he strives for a kind of penance for his sins. There’s also the little matter of happiness. If Angel achieves a moment of perfect happiness, He will lose his soul. Your soul would, however, be different. I do not doubt there will be a deep regret for what the demon has done without a soul to guide it, But I do believe that you, unlike Angel, will still be able to achieve happiness, were you able to find it.”

 

“My demon… This Spike. Did he have anyone?” William asked.

 

“For nearly 120 years after your death he did,” Giles explained softly, “2 years ago, Drucilla left him, leaving him morose and vulnerable, when the chip rendered him helpless, he came to us for help. He doesn't seem to have tried ingratiating himself to us, but some of that may be defensive. The chip weakened him to the point he had to go to his natural enemy for assistance.”

 

“Do you think he would be more personable if rejoined with myself?” William asked nervously.

 

“I believe he will feel less drive to prove how evil he still is,” Giles said, “And that would allow your far friendlier nature to shine through.”

 

“I can only hope you are right,” William sighed, looking at the clock, “What else do we need to do?”

 

“Actually, with your assistance translating the Latin, I don’t believe we have much more research we need to do,” Giles said honestly, “Now I need to speak with Tara and Willow about planning a spell to rejoin you to yourself.”

 

“Hey G-man, how goes the research?” Xander asked, walking in, lightly dusty from work.

 

“Actually, Mr. Pratt and I were just discussing that,” Giles said, looking over at Xander, “I believe with his assistance translating the Latin we have finished the mundane part of the research, Now I just require researching the magic with our resident witches.”

 

“So you don’t need Billy and me tonight?” Xander asked with a grin, “Great! That new Harry Potter movie is out, and I wanted to show Billy what it’s like watching a movie in a theater.”

 

“Actually, with the news I have just learned, I was hoping I could speak with you, Xander,” William added, standing, “If we are done here, Mr. Giles?”

 

“Ah yes, of course,” Giles said, thinking of something and pulling out his wallet, handing William a few bills, “Here, for your work on the Taxes, I dare say you got a week’s worth of work done in one day.”

 

“Oh, thank you,” William said, taking the money with surprise, “I was expecting to still be working off everything you’ve purchased for me the past two days.”

 

“To be perfectly honest, Mr. Pratt, had I hired a professional, as I was considering before your separation, I would have been charged far more than I spent on your clothing and the cash in your hand for work that would have taken me weeks to get back, instead of two days you managed to learn modern tax laws well enough to assist with my shop. You deserve some recompense for that work.”

 

“Well then, thank you, Mr. Giles,” William said, putting the cash in his pocket.

 

Giles smiled, “You two enjoy yourselves, I will tell the girls where you went.”

 

“Thanks, G-man, we’ll be back for helping tomorrow,” Xander grinned, leading William out the door, “So, what did you want to ask me?”

 

William flushed, looking down and pulling out his notebook, “Mr. Giles has told me that I will not be here long. It’s likely as soon as this Toth is defeated, I will be forced to rejoin with the demon.”

 

“That sucks,” Xander said, glancing over at William, “Does he think the soul will stay?”

 

“He does,” William nodded, fiddling with the pages of his notebook while he followed Xander, “But soul or no, I will still be subsumed by the demon’s 120 years of experience. He has also told me that the demon has made no effort to be friendly?”

 

“That’s an understatement,” Xander scoffed, “Spike goes out of his way to remind us that he’s only here to get in on the good demon fights. I think the only people who he doesn’t actively hate are Dawn and Joyce, and Buffy’s sure part of that is him trying to annoy her by being nice to her family.”

 

William nodded, “I see.”

 

“You’re a _lot_ nicer to be around, I’m kind of hoping when he comes back at least part of your personality stays,” Xander admitted, flushing a touch himself.

 

“I am very much hoping the same myself,” William said, opening his notebook to a certain page, fingering the paper before gently pulling it off, “I don’t want to rejoin with him until I’ve told you how I feel. As I find it easier to express myself through writing, I wrote this for you.”

 

Xander looked down in surprise, taking the paper to read it.

 

_A Sonnet for the Man I love_

 

_My Carpenter, His Beauty is his Strength_

_His Strong arms can lift both body and heart_

_And I can Extol his Virtues at Length_

_His Muscles stretch like a work of fine art_

 

_His eyes brown as the chocolate he loves_

_A riot of curls, his fine but short hair_

_His voice is gent’ler than the cooing dove’s_

_And his lip’s smile doth my heart ensnare_

 

_He shows me such wonders that seem magic_

_TV, Cell phones, rockets to the Moon_

_That he may not want me makes life tragic_

_Everything about him makes me Swoon_

 

_Because my love has pulled me far under_

_Rejection would be like strike of thunder_

 

“I understand there is a strong chance that you aren’t even inclined towards other men, and I’m well aware that my poetry is bloody awful, They dubbed me William the Bloody Awful Poet for a reason, but I wanted you to know before…” William said, stopping when Xander reached out to take his hand.

 

“Billy… William, this is the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever done for me,” Xander said softly, soft brown eyes meeting worried blue, before impulsively pulling the slighter man close, pressing gentle lips to his mouth.

 

William froze in shock, body going rigid at the sudden and highly improper show of affection. It didn’t last long, however, quickly melting into the other man’s embrace. When Xander finally pulled back, William couldn’t help the small moue of disappointment.

 

“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have done that,” Xander admitted with a small blush, reluctant to let William go.

 

“I think you’ll find minimal objection from myself,” William said, turning red, “Do you still wish to see this movie you were speaking of?”

 

“Dinner and a movie sound like a perfect first date,” Xander grinned, moving to take William’s hand.

 

“Oh, before I forget,” William said, pulling the cash from his pocket, “I wasn’t sure if you would allow me to continue living with you after I gave you that poem, But since you pay for my food, lodging, and incidentals, I think you should have this more than I.”

 

Xander blinked, taking the cash and counting it, “Whoa, G-man must like you, there’s $100 here,” He took a single bill out of the stack, “Here, in case you need anything when I’m not there.”

 

William blinked, pocketing the bill, “Thank you.”

 

“Dude, I should be thanking you,” Xander grinned, putting the poem and cash in his wallet, “Come on, let’s get some dinner before the movie.”

 

~~~

 

Xander waited until everyone was gathered for the nightly pre-patrol meeting before he spoke, “So, William asked me out last night, I said yes.”

 

Giles looked up, surprise clear on his face, “Is that wise Xander?” he asked, looking over at the two men, “William will not be with us very long, and there’s no telling how Spike will take this. He has a tendency to be obsessive over those he feels affection towards.”

 

“I-I think it- it’s sweet,” Tara smiled softly.

 

“I didn’t know you were gay,” Buffy said surprised, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

 

“I’m bi, and I figured it didn’t matter unless I started dating someone,” Xander said honestly, “Which I am, even if it’s probably going to be a short relationship.”

 

“May I be so bold as to ask what you plan to do when William is rejoined with Spike?” Giles asked, cleaning his glasses.

 

“I suppose that’s up to Spike and how much William is left in him,” Xander said softly, taking William’s hand, “I mean, if he’s still ‘I’m Evil, fear me’ I probably won’t want to date him, but if he has a sweet side, Like William, I don’t think I’d mind.”

 

“So long as you know what you’re getting into,” Giles said.

 

“So how did he ask you out?” Willow asked with a smile.

 

“Oh! He wrote a poem!” Xander said, taking out his wallet, “It’s really good. Hey, Billy is it ok if I show Willow the Poem?”

 

“I suppose,” William said with a blush, “If you really think it’s good.”

 

Xander grinned, handing Willow the paper, “I think it’s great. Billy says it’s a Sonnet, which means there’s all these complicated rules about length of lines and rhythm and rhyme scheme that I don’t understand, but it’s super sweet.”

 

Willow smiled, accepting the poem and reading it, “This is actually pretty good William, I didn’t know you were a poet.”

 

William blushed deeply, “No one in my time appreciated my poetry.”

 

Xander smiled, moving to retake William’s hand, “Well I can name one guy who really does in this time.”

 

William smiled, giving Xander a shy peck on the cheek, “It’s a shame it took so long to find someone who does.”

 

~~~

 

The next few weeks were much of the same, Buffy defeated Toth and Willow, Giles and Tara worked on the spell to rejoin William with Spike, all while Xander and William fell in love. Eventually, their time was up. The next day they would have to do the rejoining spell, But tonight was just for them. Xander had taken William to the Blockbuster to pick out a movie, and William had surprised Xander by picking out a modern retelling of a story William knew well. Romeo + Juliet, with Leonardo Dicaprio.

 

“You really are a sap,” Xander chuckled, settling down on the couch and pulling William into his side, snacks on the table in front of them.

 

“It seems appropriate, celebrating the last night of our doomed relationship with the original doomed relationship,” William said, smiling up at Xander, watching the movie play.

 

“William,” Xander asked, his hand tangling with his boyfriend’s, looking down at the curly blonde hair, “Can you promise me something? Promise me if you’re still in there after this, that you’ll come back to me?”

 

“I will do everything in my power to return to you Xander,” William said softly, leaning in to give his love a kiss, a kiss that swiftly became desperate, arms clinging, mouths drinking the last taste of their lover’s lips. It only stopped when William needed to breathe, “Xander? Can I sleep here with you tonight?”

 

“I wouldn’t think of having you sleep anywhere else, Billy,” Xander said softly, his arms tight around the Victorian gentleman he’d come to love, unshed tears hidden in his eyes as he placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

 

“I do love you, Xander,” William said softly, “I wish I didn’t have to leave.”

 

“I’d rather have you for this short time than not have you ever,” Xander said, running his arms down his lover’s back, “And I’d rather have you diluted with 120 years of having a demon riding you than not at all, Just remember that.”

 

“I’ll do my best,” William promised, kissing Xander once again, before turning his attention back to the movie.

 

~~~

 

The next day, William walked to the magic box like he was walking to the gallows. Tonight, once they’d managed to wrestle the demon in, they were going to undo the separation, and he was worried how much of himself would stay. Listless, he worked on Giles’ ledgers idly, making sure it was all squared away before his change. When Xander came in from work, he put the ledgers away, wanting to sit closely with his love before the spell. It was only when Buffy carried in the struggling demon that they separated.

 

“Come back to me,” Xander whispered, before letting William go to the demon.

 

William froze at the sight of the feral creature he was going to join with, taking in the tight pants, tight shirt and leather coat. He couldn’t think of anything more opposite to him than this deadly creature.

 

“Ah, William, if you could stand with Spike, Willow will cast the spell,” Giles said, helping draw the circle for the girls.

 

“Of course,” William said, moving to stand next to the struggling creature.

 

Once the circle was ready, Willow spoke a word and brandished the stick, The results were somewhat comical, William’s sweater and slacks over Spike’s coat and clothing, but under the chains, falling to the ground from a half standing position. Once he landed, Giles went to unlock the chains, and as soon as he was loose, he took one look at Xander and Ran, overwhelming emotion rushing over him as he ran off.

 

“Spike?!” Xander asked, shocked as the vampire ran off, “Wait!”

 

Not that he could catch the fleeing demon, He was a lot faster than a human.

 

~~~

 

It was a week and a half later when Xander finally caught wind of where Spike might be, Some of the guys at work had mentioned a crazy man living in the basement of the school they were demoing to build a new one. Knowing it had to be Spike, Xander showed up that night, A thermos of lukewarm blood in one hand and a cross in case he’d gone absolutely crazy in the other. Carefully picking his way into the ruined basement, he called out, “Spike! I know you’re down here, I brought you dinner.”

 

“Go away!” Spike said, trying to hide deeper, “Not safe…”

 

“Of course it’s safe, Spike,” Xander said softly, moving towards the movement, “Even if you _could_ hurt me, you never would.”

 

“How can ya be so sure? Hurt so many….” Spike said, curled up on himself, still wearing the odd layers from the spell.

 

“Because Spike,” Xander said, moving closer to the scared of himself vampire, “I know you pretty well. Even soulless you loved with all of you, and you weren’t very Evil either.”

 

“Oi!” Spike protested, even in this state he was proud of his reputation a little, “Ya really think I wasn’t too evil?”

 

“It’s true,” Xander insisted, smiling, reaching out to touch a matted blonde lock, “I remember the first time Dru tried to end the world. The Judge remember? You sent Buffy that arm so she could know he was coming to stop him. I remember how you would do _anything_ for Drucilla, aside from end the world, even when she was unfaithful to you. I remember how you helped us defeat Achthla, all you wanted in exchange was to be able to save Drucilla. And I like to think I know that new soul of yours even better. I know how he put himself into every poem he wrote, how he felt like no one appreciated his work, his dream of publishing a book of poems. And I know he made a promise to me. You’re breaking that promise right now, Spike, All I want you to do is stop breaking your promise.”

 

“Why?” Spike asked, sounding like he was about to cry, “I hurt… I hurt so many, I’m a _Monster_ , Xander.”

 

“Wrong,” Xander said firmly, “Your _demon_ is a Monster. I’m pretty sure you’ve already proven that that monster isn’t in control anymore, and unlike Angel, I’m pretty sure he’ll never get control again. You’re special to me, Spike. The first person who saw _me_ and wanted to be part of that mess. I know you’re not fully Billy anymore, but you’re not fully _Spike_ either, give me the chance to know the new you.”

 

Spike lunged, throwing strong arms around Xander’s broader form and crying, collapsing into the affection he was so afraid to regain.

 

Xander dropped his cross in surprise, but immediately put his arms around Spike, holding him until he’d cried himself out, kissing dirty curls, “Feeling better now? I really did bring you dinner. You can’t have been eating well stuck down here.”

 

Spike looked down at the thermos Xander was offering, taking the blood and twisting the cap off, drinking it down hungrily, stopping only when it was finished with a look of shock on his face, “Where did ya get human?”

 

“I know a guy at the hospital willing to sell me the rejects,” Xander smiled, moving to lead Spike out of the rubble-strewn basement, “I figured if I was going to have an undead boyfriend, I needed to find a way to provide for him. Come on, let’s get you home and showered.”

 

~~~

 

Spike was happy to see Xander had framed the original poem when they got back to his apartment, but it took him days to be back to something resembling normalcy. The night he was finally ready to face other people, he handed Xander another sheet of paper, this one with a more modern poem on it.

 

_My Summer’s Sun_

 

_You are my Summer's Sun_

_Words so bright_

_My demon burns_

_Love so tight_

_My new soul yearns_

_To keep you forever_

_When I know I can't_

 

“It’s beautiful Spike,” Xander smiled, “I’m going to have to get a new frame.”

 

“I’m still shite at expressin’ myself, pet, but I can still put pen ta paper,” Spike said, looking a little embarrassed.

 

“I like this form of expression,” Xander smiled, moving to give Spike a hug, “Oh, and Spike, I know forever’s out of the question, but how does the next 50-60 years sound instead?”

 

Spike ducked his head, the grin on his face pure William, “Doubt it’s enough Pet, but I’ll take what I can get. What’s say we go see what your friends are up ta tonight.”

 

Xander grinned, giving Spike a kiss, “I like that idea.”

 

~~~

 

_Finis_


End file.
